Returning to work for a former employer, known as boomeranging, is back in vogue.
In March, boomerang employees made up 35% of new hires, up from 31% a year earlier, according to payroll provider ADP.
“The trend of workers returning to previous employers is continuing,” Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist, told Yahoo Finance. “It’s persistent.”
For employers, “there’s a lot of uncertainty and caution in the labor market, which is showing up in the increase in boomerang hires,” she said. “Employers are trying to get as much efficiency from their workforce as possible. And sometimes that means hiring and onboarding someone who’s already familiar with the turf. They know the worker, the worker knows them.”
The boomerang trend is even bigger if you count federal employees returning to their former jobs. Trump administration officials across the government are scrambling to rehire experienced workers who were forced out this spring under DOGE’s staff-slashing initiative.
More than 460 laid-off employees, for example, at the US Department of Health and Human Services, were reportedly sent notices last week that they are being rehired.
Boomerang hiring comes in waves. It skyrocketed during the summer of 2020 as companies sprinted to bring back workers laid off during the pandemic shutdown that spring.
Then, in 2022, millions of workers quit their jobs during the Great Resignation. In March 2022, the quit rate was 3%, with 4.5 million workers voluntarily leaving their jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The impetus in many cases was money. Wage growth for job switchers surged, as employers enticed workers with sweet compensation packages. Hardly anyone was looking back. Boomerang workers as a share of new hires sank to a low of 26%, per ADP.
Now, far fewer people are quitting their jobs. Quits have dropped to 2% or 3.19 million workers in April. At the same time, boomerang rehiring has been steadily rising.
This hiring trend has been gathering steam across virtually all industries, Richardson said, especially in media, publishing, software development, and technology.
Other factors spurring the trend include a domino effect from the housing market. “People are just less willing than they used to be to move for jobs,” Richardson said. “With the housing market having cooled down because of higher interest rates, higher house prices, and the ability to work remotely, workers are just not as likely to move for a job. So if you’re not willing to move, maybe going back to an employer that’s in your local area is a stronger option than it would’ve been 20 years ago.”
Sending a resume blindly out to job postings where you have no connection is, generally speaking, a dead-end street. Employers hire people they know, or people they know know.
But if you parted a job on good terms, you have no reason not to check back in.
“The grass isn’t always greener at a new company, and sometimes, you realize your previous workplace had more going for it than you remembered,” Nancy Ancowitz, a career strategist, told Yahoo Finance. “Going back gives you the chance to bring sharper skills and a fresh perspective to familiar ground.”
If getting back together appeals to you, you might join former employer alumni groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. Check out job boards and don’t be bashful about contacting a former manager or ex-colleague if there’s a position that catches your eye.
“Relationships matter — reaching out to former colleagues can give you the inside scoop on the team and management, and sometimes even open the door for a referral or a good word on your behalf,” Ancowitz said.
When you reach out, show how you’ve grown. “Spotlight the new skills, insights, and connections you’ve gained since you left, and explain how you’re eager to use them to make an even bigger impact this time around,” she added.
Be clear-eyed, however, about why you resigned. Plenty of people leave their jobs because of a bad boss, and you don’t want to walk back into a toxic environment.
“You’ve probably heard the saying, ‘people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers,’” Ancowitz said. “I see this all the time — even companies regularly ranked as top places to work can have pockets of poor management. Sometimes it’s that one manager who turns your Sunday nights into a sleepless countdown to Monday.”
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Before making a move to reconnect, ask yourself: Will you be reporting to someone who brings out your best? “That’s often the game changer for boomerang success,” Ancowitz said.
I have found that when you exit with grace, the door is always open. I have resigned from five jobs during my career, and all of my former employers and bosses became steady clients when I ran my own business.
“When I talk to HR managers around the country for firms of all sizes, they tell me that the exit conversation has changed in the last two years,” Richardson said. “It is more like we value you, and if it doesn’t work out, keep us in mind. It’s not so much a goodbye, it’s more of a ‘see you later, let’s keep in touch.’ That’s a big difference.”
And as Ancowitz said: “Sometimes, the sequel really is better than the original.”
Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming “Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future,” “In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work” and “Never Too Old to Get Rich.” Follow her on Bluesky.
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